


Less Than Three

by TrufaxRex



Category: Supernatural RPF
Genre: Abandonment, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Angst, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Friends to Lovers, M/M, Mates, Multi, Trust Issues
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-06-23
Updated: 2014-01-14
Packaged: 2017-12-15 20:56:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 16,313
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/853959
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TrufaxRex/pseuds/TrufaxRex
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jared Padalecki is a successful Omega, with his own thriving business and more than enough to keep him busy. He doesn't need an Alpha or Beta and doesn't want one either. And that decision has absolutely nothing to do with his two best friends ditching him ten years ago.</p><p>Not at all.</p><p>[DISCONTINUED]</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Never Mine; or How It Began

**Author's Note:**

> This started out as something that was supposed to be a little sad, but a lot funny. Its turned a lot more sad and angsty than funny. But bear with me and I swear it will get funnier and lest angsty.

“I can’t believe I let you talk me into this.” Jared tipped back his head taking a long swallow of wine, before grimacing in disgusts. “Even this wine is cheap as fuck. I bet it came from a box.”

What Jared is doing could only be considered glorified whining, and predictably Genevieve is ignoring him because she deals with it on a regular basis. But really, who would be excited to be sitting in their high school gymnasium for some stupid farewell Lakeland High School Party. So they were knocking the stupid place down, who cared? They were building the same thing right back on top. It was stupid, and only desperate people who wanted to show off really enjoyed these type of things. Even Gen isn’t looking half as interested in what was going on as she had claimed to be four months earlier when she told Jared she’d already sent in their RSVPs.

“I’m missing work for this.”  As the head of his own wedding planning agency, he _could_ potentially have a lot of work. But to his chagrin his two employees had assured them they could handle the beginning stages of their next client for an ‘alarming three days’ (their words not his).  “I could be getting paid.”

“You still get paid, dumbass.” Genevieve whipped out her phone and frowned as she cycled through messages. “And you don’t even like your work.”

“Yes I do!” Jared said probably a little to loudly, and simply glared at the people who turned to stare. “I love my job.”

“Jay you’ve been planning your dream wedding over and over since you started. “ Gen sighed and shook her head. “And then get plastered after watching your client’s tie the knot. That’s not actually how it should go.”

“Yeah, well.” Jared then fell silent, having no comeback for that and really not wanting to talk about it. There was a reason Gen was his best friend. She understood him more than anyone and had cleaned him up from more than one mess in the early days.. At the time he had put it all down to a Beta concerned about an un-mated Omega, but it was more than that. The older woman understood what he was going through, being un-mated and thinking that they should be mated, but not really wanting to be. The reasons that the both of them were un-mated were completely different, but that didn’t matter so much.  It just mattered that they were there for each other.

“We should go out for burgers after this.” He mused, smiling a little. “It’ll be a treat.”

“As long as you’re the one treating.”  She smiled and nudged him non-too gently. “Look over there. Is that them?”

Jared’s head whipped around towards the entrance of the gym and his eyes widened. There they were, the power couple of high school, still together it seemed. Still beautiful and still popular as ever as people swarmed to greet them as they barely got a foot in the door. He wasn’t among those who gravitated toward that area, though he certainly felt the tug to go to the mated Alpha and Beta pair. In fact he was hoping to avoid them.

He got the sneaking suspicion that _this_ was what Gen had wanted to wait for. Ever since he had told her his story of being best friends with the older Alpha and Beta and there sudden decision to cut him out of their lives, she had been convinced there was more going on.  Jared was pretty sure it was just the fact that they were done with his stupid Omega ass cramping their style. Because sure enough, after Misha and Jensen had effectively stopped inviting him to hangout, they became the power couple of high school – most likely to succeed in all things and eventually take over the world.

And from what Jared had heard when he came home to Texas from New York, they pretty much had the state of Texas in the palm of their hand. Misha was a Dentist who headed up the office of one of the most beloved dentists right outside of Austin. Basically running the place, as the older man was getting ready for retirement.  And Jensen was one of the most highly acclaimed Pediatricians in the state..

Now Jared ran a pretty good wedding planning business and got paid more than he had any reason to be. But still, he fell into it by chance. He couldn’t compete with people with actual _doctorates_. It would be humiliating.

“And for what possible reason would I want to talk to them?” Jared snapped bitterly. ”They practically dumped me.” After a second he realized what he had just implied and quickly amended. “Not like that.” 

“Except it totally was like that.” Gen sighed, there almost a look a pity in her eyes. “Sure you never said it out loud, but subconsciously you probably felt like you were part of them. And you need this closure so that you can move on.”

“I don’t want closure or to move on.” He watched warily as Jensen and Misha waded through the crowd, greeting people as they went. Both were dressed in obscenely nice, Misha in a dark blue jacket and black jeans, while Jensen wore a white shirt with gray dress pants and a vest. Misha’s hair was a little longer than Jared remembered, but he looked good.  Swallowing thickly, he wrapped his scarp around the bottom of his face and grabbed Genevieve’s hand. “Okay, we’re making a run for it.”

“Jay?” Gen looked confused, and stumbled as Jared started to pull her toward the door. “Jared! Stop a minute, Jared!”

And then he swore time stood still as a voice rose above the indistinct chattering of the crowd.

“Jared? Jared!”

He groaned and dropped Gen’s hand, glaring at the woman who just looked at him pointedly and straightened her dress. Jared really didn’t want to turn around, but he knew there was nothing he could do about it. No way to avoid this. Taking a deep breath, Jared turned; a tight smile on his face and for the first time in ten years saw the faces of the two people he had once loved.

“Jared…” Jared was taken aback by the warmth in Jensen’s voice. The older man looked so handsome up close, while he had been skinny and even delicate in high school – Jensen had definitely filed out. His shoulders, arms – god he must go to the gym everyday.  He could probably manhandle Jared, and at 6’4 being an Omega meant almost nothing and it wasn’t easy to push him around. “Its been way too long.”

“Uh…” Jared said intelligently, his mind trying to catch up and process everything that was happening.

He really didn’t get a chance as Misha threw away all pretenses and pulled Jared into a hug, squeezing him tight and whispering. “Missd you, Jared.”

Jared felt a shiver run down his spine and he pried himself out of Misha’s arms and shuffled back a few paces, taking them both in. He took a deep breath before grabbing Gen’s hand and pulling her to his side. “T-this is Gen.”

Genevieve didn’t even bother to look surprised; she just looked annoyed and glared up at Jared. Shaking her hand out of his, she offered it to Misha. “I’m a _friend_ of Jared’s.” 

“Oh?” Misha raised an eyebrow, now focused entirerly on Gen, almost like he was sizing the Beta up. But he seemed to see something in their stance that convinced him that they really were just friends.

 _Not that it should really be any of his business._ Jared grumbled in his head, trying not to look too petulant. He was a businessman, he should be able to handle working with people he didn’t want to be around. Slapping a false smile on his face he clasped his hands together.

“Well, its been really great running into you two. We’re just about to head out.” He tried to look apologetic. “I hope you both have a great night.”

“It just started.” Jensen furrowed his brow, a little confused and also looking a little desperate. “We haven’t seen each other in ten years, Jay. We have so much to catch up on.” 

 _Well maybe if you hadn’t cut me off we’d still be talking, asshat._ Jared stared at Jensen and then looked to Misha, who was watching him with a calculating look as though he knew exactly what Jared was thinking. “Yeah well, I’m sure we’ll run into each other at the next reunion or party they throw here.”

“Me and Jared are actually heading out for burgers.” Genevieve said suddenly. “If you want to join us.”

Misha tilted his head and grinned at her, sticking his hands in his pockets. “That’s not a bad idea.” He glanced up at Jensen. “What do you think?” 

Jensen made a cursory glance around the gymnasium, though he was obviously uninterested. “Sure thing.” 

“Awesome.” Gen smirked, ignoring Jared’s glare.

 

* * *

 

They were all seated in a small booth, Jensen and Misha on one side with Genevieve and Jared on the other, looking like some sort of terrible double date. If it were possible, Jared was in an even worse mood than before – after having been in the car with Jensen and Misha for the longest twenty minutes of his life. He and Gen had taken a cab from the hotel, and so gracious as they were – Jensen and Misha offered them a ride to not only the dinner, but also the hotel afterwards as well. 

“Look, Jay.” Genevieve finally sighed after fifteen minutes of Jared staring out the window and not saying a word. “You three have got to talk, and its not going to happen while I’m here. I’m going back to the hotel, and you can come back when you’re done.”

“But…” Jared stared up at here, eyes wide as she collected her clutch and jacket. “Gen, please…”

“No buts, Jared. Time to put on the big boy pants.” She said firmly, patting his hand.

“Watch it.” Misha shot a warning glance her way, teeth bared in an almost pleasant smile. “We’ll make sure he gets home safe.”

“Thanks.” Gen nodded, and with one more encouraging glance toward Jared, headed out of the dinner.

And then there were three. It felt like an interrogation and Jared wished that he could just sink through the cushions of his seat and hide forever. It wasn’t fair, being stared down by an Alpha and Beta like this. Wasn’t there like a law or something that prevented him from being in these situations? He twiddled with his silverware as he tried to figure out an easy and quick escape route.

“Jared.” Misha grabbed his hand, and stilled it. He cocked his head and furrowed his brow. “Did we do something to hurt you? You seem tense.”

Jared wanted to laugh as much as he wanted to cry right now. He couldn’t look at them and instead stared at the salt and peppershakers on the table. “Just not sure what I’m doing here is all.”

“You left so suddenly.” Misha mused. “We weren’t expecting you to just… go. And then you didn’t come back. We wondered what happened to you. You didn’t say anything to us.”

“I didn’t say anything to you?” Jared laughed harshly this time. “Really? You want to know why I didn’t say goodbye before I went to New York? Did we really have to come all the way out to this diner for that?”

“Figured you’d have a long explanation.” Jensen’s hands were crossed over his chest and he looked hurt. “We were best friends for such a long time. We didn’t even hear about the graduation until it was too late. You know we would have come back from college to see that.”

Jared stared at them. Was he missing something? What the hell was gong on? Unless he dreamed up his entire Junior year, these two were obviously batshit insane.

“Are you serious? Your senior year ring any bells?” Jared bit out. “I don’t remember being best friends or even being remotely close that year. We came back from summer break and you two started treating me like I was some sort of pariah. I mean it was fine a first. You know, we hung out after school and at lunch, you two had study hall the same time I had art. Then after Thanksgiving you started ignoring me, never came to see me during art, never fucking waited after school.” He gripped the table hard. “Misha, you fucking growled at me when I came to sit with you at lunch. I… I didn’t even eat that day. I just… And then you I gave you both space and… it’s like you never even noticed.”

Jared whispered the last part, feeling drained after having finally let that out after so many years. Misha and Jensen looked startled and confused and looked at each other as though trying to figure something out. Jared fidgeted, but felt less anxious now hat he’d admitted what he had been keeping to himself for so long.

“To tell the truth, senior year was kind of a blur.” Jensen blushed a little, and looked over at Misha with a soft look in his eyes. “I remember I was just glad I was so good at my classes.” He looked at Jared now. “Jay, we were courting. We were probably assholes to everyone.”

“I growled at quite a few people during that year.” Misha seemed quite pleased with himself and chuckled. “I might have bit someone too.”

“We thought you knew, Jay.” Jensen said softly. “And then we went to college, but we… well we assumed that you weren’tgoing to move anywhere after high school. Especially not out to New York. When you disappeared without a word we were so confused.” 

_Courting._

_Mating behaviors._

_Displays of dominance._

_Overprotectiveness._

_Clinginess and general disinterest in the outside world._

Suddenly it all made sense. He had never thought about it before, but they had never really replaced him with other people – just kind of shucked him off to the side. Not that this really made him feel so much better, if anything it just served to make him angrier. 

“So what, you didn’t trust me enough to warn me?” Jared growled suddenly. There were still too many questions he wanted to ask, too many things that he just couldn’t get his head around.

Before Misha or Jensen could answer, their food was delivered. However the medium-rare burger no longer seemed as appetizing as earlier in the evening.  Across from him, both older males had similair disinterest in their meals and simply pushed them aside.

“It wasn’t that at all Jay, if anything…. Crap, don’t take this the wrong way.” Jensen blushed a little. “We didn’t want you to be uncomfortable. And we didn’t think that you would notice, honestly. You never noticed it before, and you were too young…” Jensen shakes his head and spreads his hands. “It was stupid of us, I admit, but we had no idea how bad we were going to get.”

“We planned on telling you, Jared. That was always the plan.” He stopped suddenly and looked toward his mate and raised an eyebrow. Some silent communication seemed to pass between them before Jensen nodded. Misha fixed Jared with gentle eyes, almost willing him to remain calm. This only served to make Jared even more anxious.

“Once you were done your senior year, we were planning on Courting _you_.” Misha said pointedly. “We didn’t think you’d move out of Texas, and we figured it would be easier to do during college.”

“We might have gotten ahead of ourselves.” Jensen admitted, rubbing the back of his neck. “You never seemed like one of those big city Omegas, Jay. You even told me you wouldn’t mind living right around the corner from your parents. We might have just assumed that you’d be there whenever we were ready to come for you.”

Jared stared at them, mouth agape. Putting aside that extremely outdated house-Omega virgin baby-machine _bullshit,_ there was a secret part of him that was sort of pleased. It was that part of him that makes people assume that Omegas were all happy house-dwelling virgin baby-machines. Because the truth was, all these years he had felt very much like some sort of jilted lover. When he was in High School he had thought nothing of their closer than average friendship until it had been taken away. He supposed he should have been paying more attention to the signals Jensen and Misha had been throwing each other, and maybe he wouldn’t have gotten himself into that situation.

That being said, it didn’t mean he wasn’t still _pissed._ Because really? They assumed that he would just go la-di-da, and forget that they had treated him like shit for a year and ignored him for one more? For two people with doctorates, they were painfully stupid about stuff sometimes.

“Well.” Jared finally said. Trying to find a way to convey what he felt without flipping the table. “Good to know that after two years of being ignored you thought I’d just roll over and take whatever you gave me.”

They both looked shame-faced, though Jensen more so. Misha looked determined and let out a long breathe, clasping his hands together.

“It was stupid of us Jared. But that’s just it, we were young and foolish back then. Probably mated too young. And were stupid enough to think that you would wait around for us.” Misha’s sharp blue gaze reached Jared’s, all alpha and all heat. “But its different now, Jay. Its been ten years. We’ve got money, a huge house just waiting for pups. And trust me, its only ever been you Jared. The only reason we even went to that function was to find you.” 

“I really don’t care about your money, or your house.” Jared felt tired all of a sudden and he slumped down. “And its been ten years. That’s a lot, Misha.”

“We could try, though.” Jensen said earnestly. “All we’re asking for is a chance to try and make it up to you. We were so good back then.”

Jared cocked his head and studied them through narrow eyes. “What exactly do you think I do that I could just drop everything in move into your little dream house? I’ve got commitments, you know. A life.”

“You could find something down here, Jared.” Misha said waving his hand. “It’s a big state. And if you’ve actually been working, finding some part-time job down here won’t be hard.” 

It was at that point that Jared realized this would never work. Jared had been uniquely spoiled by the foreword-thinking attitude up in New York. His job was a _job_ , he was running his own business and by all accounts he was extremely successful, not just for an Omega – but as a person. But here, down here in these quiet homegrown suburbs, his wanting a full-time job was just a _pastime_ until he found someone to settle down with. It was clear Misha and Jensen expected him to devote most his time to their house and whatever Pups he would be popping out as soon as possible. Him having a job would be akin to just having a hobby that he just happened to get paid for.

Well fuck if he was gong to live like that.

“Honestly, I think we’re done here.” Jared pulled out his wallet resolutely and shook his head. “I don’t think we’ve got the same idea about what mate-ship would be about, and that’s without the fact that you basically ignored for two years for your own convenience sake.” 

He slapped the money for his food down on the counter, then hesitating for a second before pulling out one of his business cards and sliding it across the table. Maybe that would help them understand why this couldn’t go anywhere. 

“Just… Take a look at the website. And I think you’ll get it.” Jared said quietly. “I’m not that kid who used to trail around you all day. I’m… I’m not what you were expecting. But I _am_ glad that we had this talk. Gen was right, I really needed this if I’m going to move on.”

They were staring at him now, Jensen holding the card between his fingers. Misha looked ready to get up and physically stop him from leaving before Jensen put a hand on his arm.

“Thank you for coming out with us, Jay.” Jensen said. “You should stick around for a few days." 

Jared just frowned sadly and shook his head before heading toward the exit.


	2. Is that A Gun In Your Pocket Or... Oh, it is a Gun

Jared’s office was nearly immaculate. While he kept the room organized, he wouldn’t always call it tidy. But there were some days, and some clients that required a different sort of touch. Usually he would tell his assistants Anastasia and Laila to handle the start of jobs, while he smoothed offer the final details, but not this time. He had been _personally_ requested, and the budget of the wedding was listed as _unlimited._ The clients had even wanted to keep their identities under wraps until they met Jared in person. That meant he was going to planning for someone important. Someone who had a lot of important friends who might need weddings planned.

Jared was going to make a good impression if it damned near killed him.

There was a knock on the door and then Anastasia’s brisk voice. “Its your three o’clock, Jared.”

He quickly stood, smoothing out his tie and putting on his brightest smile as the door opened.

“Hi, welcome to _‘For the Heart’_ Wedding Planning, I’m Jared Padalecki. Very nice to meet you.”

And the moment these words came out of his mouth he regretted them. Regretted them with every fiber of his being because no, _no._ He was not in fact happy to meet them, because he’d already met these two assholes.

That didn’t stop Misha from looking like a smug bastard and Jensen flashing him his winning smile as Anastasia closed the door behind them.

It was going to be one of those days.

 

* * *

 

Jared Padalecki was a professional.

He was a businessman, known for his charming personality and ability to work with anyone in any situation.

Jared Padalecki was going to kill his new ‘clients’.

“So we’ve decided to get married.” Jensen starts out, grinning like it’s the most wonderful thing on the planet.

It probably is for him, the smug bastard is rich and successful and beautiful and his husband is rich and successful and beautiful. And they’re going to have an expensive, perfect, gorgeous wedding.

Just not with Jared Padalecki’s help.

“And I’m sure there are hundreds of wedding planners in Austin who would be falling over themselves to help you.” Jared said, not even bothering to fake cheerfulness. It was only out of practiced good manners that he even invited him to sit at the infamous ‘planning table’. “Its an expensive trip of to New York just to get recommended to go back to Texas.”

“There are not a hundred wedding planners in Austin.” Misha snorts. “I doubt there are a hundred in Texas.” 

“It’s the biggest state. There could be.” Jensen mused thoughtfully. “But that’s not really the point. We don’t want _them_ to plan our wedding.” 

“Right,” See Jared is pretty good; he knows he is good so he isn’t going to argue about why couples would rather go to him than anyone else. But this is personal, and Jared doesn’t understand why these two really needed to make a big deal out of it. Were they trying to rub it in his face? Because hes moved on, thank you very much.

“See the real problem is that its not just us, we our Omega mate lives up here. Hes a kind of adamant about not moving back to Texas until all the wedding details are sorted out, so we made the trip up here.” Jensen explains, shrugging.

“That’s nice of you, but I usually recommend that all partners be present during the wedding planning. Trust me, hes gong to think that he doesn’t really care. But once he ends up in Moscow in the middle of his Heat for the Honeymoon, hes going to care.” Jared is easily duped into ‘planning mode’, and can’t stop the words coming out of his mouth no matter how hard he tries. “So what you need to do is get him and get back to me. And maybe not get married so soon. If he isn’t willing to even move to the state with you until your marriage, he may be super traditional and you might not know exactly how he wants the ceremony to go. He might want some bonding ceremony where everyone is in robes kneeling and chanting.”

Misha is staring at him with this look though that finally makes Jared stop. He is smiling, but its not a nice smile – no this is a purely predatory ‘I’ve got you now, better fucking ruuuuun’ smile. 

Fuck. 

Wait.

No. No. No. Abort.

“Our mate actually happens to be here.” Misha’s words his Jared like a freight train.

“Okay. Out. Out. This consultation is over!” Jared is pissed, hes beyond pissed. Hes also embarrassed, but mostly pissed. Because its just like these two alpha-male (and beta, sure, whatever) douchebags to waltz up in here after he told them explicitly that he wasn’t interested. But no, hes just some dumb little Omega to them, of course he was just being over dramatic. And here they are thinking they can drag Jared away from him job and… 

“Whoa, whoa calm down.” Jensen’s gripping his shoulders gently and pushing him to sit back down. “Hold on, let us explain. Deep breaths, Jared.” 

And Jared tries; he really does try to take deep breaths. He keeps glaring at the two of them and thinking of all the ways he wants to maim them and it is really hard to keep calm.

“I shouldn’t have sprung that on you, but it was pretty funny.” Misha says with a chuckle, looking far too happy until Jensen fixes him with a narrow glare. “Or not.”

“We were assholes a few months ago.” Jensen said bluntly, spreading out his hands. “We made assumptions, hell we’ve been making assumptions since we were friends. But we didn’t mean it in an end-all be-all way. But you kind of left before we could say anything.”

“And we looked up your website. It was pretty impressive.” Misha added. “Jensen kind of knocked some sense into me. And we’re going to prove how perfect we are for one another.”

Jared is stilling having some problems breathing, but its mostly under control now. His heart still feels like it’s trying to punch its way out of his chest. He keeps looking between the two of them, trying to find some sort of tell because they have got to be joking. Even if they did magically realize that his job was pretty important and that he wanted to be more than just a trophy husband, there was that whole _ten_ year deal.

“Basically we want to see you were, Jared.” Jensen said as Misha nodded along. “So that we can really appreciate what you do. And we can plan our perfect wedding. With you.” 

“As in….?” Jared started hesitantly.

“As in you are indeed the Omega-bride-to-be, as well as wedding planner in this scenario.” There went Misha’s shit eating grin and Jared groaned.

He was so _screwed._

 

* * *

 

See the thing about it is, that Jared may run his own business and be 6’4 and ‘don’t need no Alpha’, but he still probably picked the most stereotypical job that he could possibly get. He liked to think that he was good at wedding planning because he was organized and very good at reading people – but if hes honest (or drunk, or both) he’ll admit that its probably because of his bleeding, romantic Omega heart.

And apparently is bleeding romantic Omega heart – coupled with pure stubbornness had decided that he was going to do this. And he was going to get through it and prove that he didn’t need them in his life and by the end of it, they would be the ones who looked foolish. 

At least that’s what Jared was telling himself after he closed up for the night. Anastasia and Laila had already left half an hour prior. Misha and Jensen had made it clear that they weren’t going to be backing down anytime soon and so Jared was scheduled to meet them for lunch tomorrow so that they could begin the ‘planning’. 

“Fuck this.” Jared muttered under his breath as he took to the streets. Usually he enjoyed the rush and bustle of the New York streets, it made him feel less alone. But today he just wanted to hurry home. He didn’t stop at his favorite Chinese place where they knew his order by heart, didn’t glance to towards Gerry, the young beta saxophonist trying to make his big break. No, he just hurried on, glowering in a way that would make anyone who tried to approach him think twice. 

He reached his apartment building with the sort of relief he reserved for watching a wedding go off without a hitch, and managed to smile at the security guard sitting behind his desk even as he rushed by. His apartment was rather nice, and he probably paid more it than he really needed to. But it was conveniently close to work, comfortable and it was _his._ Jared tried not to spoil himself often; most of his travel expenses were for work, but of all things that he tried to keep nice and beautiful. His home had to be it. 

It was another Omega thing, he knew that, and at this point couldn’t even deny it. The minute he stepped into his apartment, just seeing the pale greens of the walls and the strategically placed potted plants just made some of the tension instantly melt. This was his domain, a place where Misha and Jensen could never dog him. He immediately slipped out of his shoes, and placed them by the door – making a beeline for the kitchen.

He stopped, as he smelt something delicious, and familiar before seeing a medium-sized pot of chili sitting on his stove. Jared rolled his eyes, but smiled a bit ruefully. His landlady had obviously stopped by, and while it should bother him that someone was coming and going, he really didn’t mind the older beta woman. She was sweet, and motherly – which was surprising considering she owned this and several other buildings in the city. Jared had never seen her ‘business woman’ side, but Jared had personally never been able to win an argument with her – so he didn’t doubt she was a negotiator. 

Mostly she just thought Jared worked too many hours, but unlike anyone else, she didn’t think that he needed to hurry and get a mate. She thought it was the most wonderful thing that he worked for himself, and she was adamant that he would know when he met the right person or couple.

Jared shook his head as he scooped a large helping of chili into a bowl and wondered what his landlady would think of Jensen and Misha. If she knew the whole story? She’d probably have them thrown out, but Jared supposed that if she met them now, she would think they were perfectly nice.

That was the problem really, Jared mused as he took his food and went into his bedroom. Jensen and Misha weren’t inherently bad people, in fact they were being nice and had this whole thing been under different circumstances Jared would probably love their company. 

He mostly ate in silence, only the sounds of the city to keep him comfortable. He could admit that when he moved to New York, the thing he loved about it was how it was always busy – truly the city that never slept. There was truth to the idea that Omega’s were group animals, they weren’t meant to be alone. They could be, but it led to mental stresses or even depression. Jared had managed to do good for himself – keeping immersed in work as well as having an apartment where he could go out into the city whenever he needed to just _see_ other people.

Jared was about to get up and get another bowl of chili when his phone rang. Work phone, of course, which meant he couldn’t ignore it. He truly hoped it wasn’t Laila calling about the McHenry wedding, now that was a clusterfuck that he knew he was going to be handling eventually. They were all just counting down the days before shit really hit the fan.

Picking up, he cleared his voice and reached for his laptop bag. “Hello, Jared speaking.”

“Hey Jay,”

Jared wondered why he was even surprised this time. With a sigh he flopped back onto his bed, moving his bowl to his bedside table.

“Really, Jensen? We just spoke this morning.”

“Its about the wedding though, kind of.”

“Uh huh.” Jared threw an arm over his eyes. “What about it?”

“Its more about our Omega – our Mate.” A pause. “Hes from a small town in Texas like us, when he just suddenly moved to the big city. We were just wondering if you could maybe explain why he might do that.”

Jensen was the least subtle person in the world. Jared kind of wondered if Misha put him up to it and was too ‘Alpha’ to do it himself.

“You could, you know, ask him.” Jared said bluntly. “I’m sure he’d appreciate talking to his Alpha and Beta.”

Jensen chuckled lightly from the other side. “Hes a little shy about these things. Maybe you could just give us some insight. Tell us why you moved up here, Jay.”

_You know why, you asshole. You know I couldn’t stand to stay around you and your perfect life and your perfect --_

“Jared, I can practically hear what your thinking.” Jensen sighed. “Can we just… not? For a little bit? I know that we hurt you. Its all out in the open.. But its been ten years, Jared. I just want to talk to you like before. Theres got to be something in you that remembers how good we were together. I want that Jared to tell me, one of his best friends, why he moved away from his hometown.”

Jared was silent for a while, staring at the opposite wall and picking idly at a thread on his shirt. It would be so easy for him to just say that this was not a work call and he didn’t have to talk to him if he didn’t want to. Jared could hang up now and wash his hands of it for the rest of the night. But for the first time he thought that actually seemed childish. Something in him felt a twinge of guilt for this thing he carried with him and used as his buffer against making bonds with other people.

“Okay.” His voice was quiet, and he hoped Jensen was listening closely. “My senior year so much was changing. I was always a little bit of a late bloomer. Still am really. My best friends had left for college, and I realized how alone I was. I knew people, but suddenly everybody was so occupied with relationships and college plans and I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life. Over Winter break, my first Heat hit and it drove me crazy. I was so unprepared and when I came back the next semester I felt so alien in my skin. I avoided talking to people, didn’t like the looks I was getting from Alphas and Betas. I was scared and lonely, and my Mother said it was normal. That Omegas were supposed to be reserved and shy. Once I got an Alpha or Beta, it would pass.”

“Your Mom was always weird about you being an Omega.” Jensen said softly. “She definitely encouraged our friendship, I remember that.”

“Mmhm.” Jared hadn’t seen his parents in years. He knew they would be disappointed in the life he had chosen to lead. He didn’t think it would really be worth it going to see them, only to be berated for not settling down and having 2.5 kids and keeping house. “I graduated and after a few weeks, my Mom started talking about Matchmaking services. Even though I didn’t know what I wanted to do, I needed to do something. Took all my savings and whatever shit I could put into two bags and hoped a bus going to Florida. From Florida I headed up to New York. I heard it was more liberal, I’d have more chances and less pressure to be someone’s breeding _bitch._ ”

“Oh.” Jensen sounded surprised and a little sad at the use of the term.

“It worked out. I found Gen and she helped me really get started. I got lucky, found something I was good at and the rest was history. I guess I just wanted to find out who I wanted to be. I knew I didn’t want to be some house Omega and if I stayed in Texas that was all I’d ever be.”

“Is this better for you?” Jensen prompted. “Being ‘Jared the Wedding Planner’, that’s what your content with being for the rest of your life?”

“Well no…” Jared said, thinking. And for once, he felt a strong need to be truthful. Admit something that he had never told anyone before. He had always trusted Jensen with his secrets back when they were friends. The older boy had never laughed at his fears and always gave him good insight and comfort. And it was easy to talk to him, just like the old days all over again. “There are times I get so lonely that I just get up at night and walk around the streets. I don’t talk to anyone, I don’t want to draw the wrong kind of attention. But it’s the closest I can get to being with people with going to a Club or something. Even up here, people always assume things about unmated Omegas alone in clubs.”

“Yeah?” Jensen said gently, but without judgment.

It rubbed Jared the wrong way.

“But its great up here!” Jared amended hastily. “I mean, its full of people just like me. People who wanted something more than they thought they could have. Actors, resteraunteers, fashion designers. People living their dreams.”

“So this was your dream, huh?” Jensen sounds sad, almost distant. “You know, we were so close back then. I never would’ve have thought that our dreams didn’t coincide.”

Jared blinked and got up, moving to peak out of the blinds to the brightly lit streets below. There were people out, strolling along arm in arm – the soft glow of the tiny, intimate restaurant lights below. 

“We were young back then.” Jared leaned his head against the window paneling. “It happens to everyone, Jensen. We grow up, we move on. You know?”

There was a silence for a long time and Jared could feel the beginnings of guilt pooling deep in the pit of his stomach. Its was an uncomfortable, unfamiliar feeling and it made him both angry and sad at the same time.

“Some things you just can’t move on from, Jay.” Jensen sighed. “And I don’t think you’ve given up on us either.”

And just then the guilt dissipated and he gritted his teeth and started in. “How dare you---!” 

“Goodnight, Jared.” Jensen’s voice was infuriatingly calm. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”


	3. I'm Justified in My Refusal to Act My Age

Jared wakes up feeling like shit the next morning.

He dresses and showers with less than usual gusto forgoing his normal medium-sized coffee for an extra-large and three chocolate crème donuts instead of a bagel.

Hes in one of those moods today. 

Anastasia and Laila recognize something in his face and are quick to fill him in on the day’s schedule without much flair or unnecessary questions. They don’t know really know the whole story behind Jensen and Misha, but they are perceptive enough to realize that their boss was not a happy camper and it had something to do with the newest clients. It was one of the things Jared liked about having a small team – he could certainly afford to bring more people in, and could probably expand the business as well – but the more people he hired, the less likely they were to be ‘perfect’ for the job.

Also it would be a lot less work for himself, and a lot more contemplating how sad his life had become.

He split the morning between updating catering numbers and staring longingly at pictures of Maui’s Keawakapu Beach in Hawaii. It was one of their more popular spots, and surprisingly enough the one he had never actually gotten to go to. Anastasia had been kind enough to fill him in on the details of her week long, all-expense paid trip though, kind soul. 

He wasn’t sure if he could imagine Jensen and Misha getting married on a beach though, they didn’t seem like beach people. From their backgrounds, he would assume some sort of traditional church or temple wedding. But knowing them personally – Misha would definitely prefer something low-key. He wouldn’t want to create a spectacle of his marriage, and neither would Jensen for that matter – though Jensen would probably want at least one sort of grand declaration during the ceremony or reception – not to show-off, but to express his devotion.

Jared quickly clicked away from Hawaii, and ignored any of the options he had outside of the U.S. Jensen would be quite happy having a wedding down in Texas, but Misha’s family was originally from Massachusetts and he might be inclined to go back up to New England for a wedding. And Jared might agree with him – it was lovely up there, though he’d only visited a few times. If he were to have a wedding in the U.S., Vermont or Maine would be on the top his list.

Not that he ought to be thinking about it in terms of himself. Jared wasn’t getting married, _ever_ most likely.

By 11:30 he had compiled a substantial amount of information he thought might suit their interests, though he had yet to calm his nerves or see how this could be a good thing in anyway shape or form. Even Laila gave him a sympathetic look as he headed out the door, looking very much like a man marching to his untimely end. 

They had agreed to meet at an Italian place he had recommended. It offered good food, Jared knew the menu well and most importantly they had conveniently cornered off booths, for those who wanted a little more intimacy. He used this place often if he wanted a relaxing environment, but something that was still private. However when Jared got there – he couldn’t help but realize how much it felt like a date.

He smiled tightly as he saw Jensen and Misha already seated comfortably on either side of the table. Misha was already reclined back with a glass of wine in his hand, one opened bottle in the middle of the table. Jared couldn’t help but roll his eyes as he slid in next to Jensen, barely keeping his butt on the seat and easily avoiding the other man’s gaze.

“A bit early for wine, isn’t it?” He commented a bit skeptically before pulling out his laptop and placing it on the table. “So I’ve got some ideas for location you might like…” 

“Wow, you don’t fool around.” Jensen blinked, looking a bit taken aback. “We haven’t even ordered yet. Would you like some bread?’

“And we’re on vacation.” Misha interjected with a grin. “We’re trying to explore our wild side. That includes wine with lunch.”

“Huh.” Jared frowned. “Well, I know what I want. I take all of my clients here.” 

Definitely not _all_ of his clients, but it was worth it to see the slightly crushed look on both of their faces.  If they weren’t going to play fair, he wasn’t going to play fair. They had brought this ‘heartbreak’ or whatever upon themselves. Jared was trying to be the big man and let them down gently.

“Did you think anything about what I asked you last night?” Jensen said softly, leaning a bit toward him. Misha looked suddenly serious as he looked at the both of them. “About what _you_ want from your life.”

Jared sighed and his eyes flicked away from his laptop. He had wanted so badly to avoid this conversation in person and he should have known it would have never been that simple.  “No. Not really. I woke up feeling like crap, though. So thanks.”

“You wake up feeling like ‘crap’ after hearing the truth?” Misha gave him a pitying look. “That’s not healthy, Jared.”

Jensen shot him a look, frowning. “Jared’s an adult. He knows what he is doing.” Misha tipped his head slightly and raised an eyebrow. “I told him what you said to me last night.”

And Jared couldn’t really find it in himself to be mad. He figured that would happen anyway. “It really doesn’t matter. Its not about me.”

“It never is, is it, Jared?” The was an underlying sadness in Jensen’s voice that made Jared twitch a bit. “This whole business is just about other people.”

“Living vicariously through other people.” Jared bit out harshly. “Yeah, I know. I’ve heard it before.”

And then Jared does something spectacular, something amazing that he never would have thought of in a million years its so damn brilliant.

 _Take the focus. Put it somewhere else._  

“Why’d you become a dentist, Misha?” See how much he liked being questioned about his life choices.

And because its a question Jared has pondered for a very long time. Misha and dentistry would have never been apparent to him in high school. Maybe something like an English major or Phychiatrist. But Dentist? Never would have crossed his mind.  

Misha looks just as surprised as Jared was by the question and there was silence for a good few seconds before a grin split across Misha’s face. Apparently Jared knew what he was doing because Misha set his glass of wine down, while Jensen chuckled and shook his head. 

“Your gonna hate this one, Jared.” Jensen was biting his lip. “Seriously.”

“You know we both got into A&M, back in Texas? Neither of us really knew what to do, right? We were focused on other things.” Misha smirks a little. “And we got there, and I knew I wanted to work with people. Maybe become a Doctor. About a week before Winter Break, Jensen tells me that hes been talking to his advisor about Pediatrics…” 

Jensen groans a bit. “Please don’t tell him why.”

“Because if anything ever happened to our future kids, he wanted to be able to handle everything and take care of it. Nevermind that’s not really how hospitals work…” Misha winced as Jensen kicked him under the table. “He was kind of dead set. Betas, you know.”

“Well this one decided on dentistry because of your candy addiction.” Jensen said accusingly. “Said you’d need an expert to take care of your teeth when you were forty and they were corroded by all the sugar.”

Jared blinked and then frowned. “I take offense to that. I’m very good at brushing my teeth.” 

“It’s the principle of the thing, really.” Misha said as though it explained everything. “I was thinking about the future.” 

At that, they all fell into an uncomfortable silence. The weight of ten years of pain and regret weighed heavy on them at that moment, and Jared could not bring himself to even look at the two men. It wasn’t worth it, trying to prove that he was over them when he clearly wasn’t. But no matter what remnants of feelings he still had for them, he couldn’t trust them not to break his heart again. And he couldn’t trust that they would respect him like he deserved.

“I think we should just end this now.” Jared said softly, looking up at them - sad and tired. “Misha, Jensen. I don’t know what you thought you’d accomplish my coming up here and trying to make a mockery of my business. I wanted so bad to prove you wrong, but now I just… I just need you to stop, please.”

_Please, don’t hurt me anymore._

Jensen looked stricken, and even Misha quickly sobered and stared at him in mild surprise. There food came, but none of them seemed to notice as the hot plates lay in front of them.

“We _never_ meant to hurt you, Jared.” Misha stated clearly and defiantly, like he could fight the idea itself and win.

“Damn it, Jared!” He suddenly slammed a hand onto the table. “We’re nearly thirty years old! We made a mistake when we were kids! We admit it, alright? We didn’t come here to humiliate you; we came here to support you! To show you that we cared about your business, but we also care about you! Your miserable, I can see your miserable, I can damn near smell it! “

Never before has Jared been happier to be in a more secluded area than now. He was sure people in the main dining hall had heard the muffled rant, and there was nervous wait staff floating awkwardly around trying to figure out what they should do. No one wanted to get in the way of an angry mature alpha, especially not these young kids.

Jensen has a hand on Misha’s shoulder, trying to placate him and ready to hold him back if need be. Jared just stared, eyes wide as he tried to come up with a response, but Misha doesn’t give him any time.

“Say it with me, Jared. You are an O-m-e-g-a.” Misha leans forward, but he is no longer yelling. “You aren’t a Beta and you sure as hell aren’t an Alpha. And that’s fine; nobody is asking you to be something you aren’t, nobody except yourself. I don’t even think you are mad at us, I think you are mad at yourself. For falling in love with us in the first place, for still being in love with us now.”

“T-that’s not the point, that’s not.. Even if I… I can’t get hurt again, can’t break my heart again…” Jared stuttered awkwardly.

“God, Jared, if you’d have stuck around you would have never gotten your heart broken in the first place.” Misha sits back down and runs a hand through his hair. “There was never anyone else. Only ever you. Everything we did for the last ten years… was for you.”

“I know we broke your heart, Jay. But you broke both of ours, too. And your about to do it again.” Jensen adds quietly. “Please, you’ve gotten to understand, Jared. Just, think about it. We’re _begging_ you.”

“Its not the same.” Jared whispered. “ _I’m_ not the same. I _can’t._ ”

There was silence; both Jensen and Misha were staring at him.  Suddenly, Jensen’s eyes widened and he blinked a few times in succession as though he suddenly realized something. He glanced at Misha, and the two of them seemed to communicate silently with each other for far longer than Jared felt comfortable with.

“You think we don’t want you.” Jensen said softly. “This you. You think we want you to go back to past you. You think we just want to you to change for us. Don’t you? God, Jared, how could you think that?”

“Because that’s who you say you fell in love with.” Jared closes his eyes and rests his forehead on the heels of his palm. “That naïve kid who followed you around. Who just wanted to please everybody – that fucking ray of sunshine.”

_That used to be me._

“You are still you.” Misha shook his head disbelievingly.  “You’ve changed, yeah. And so have we. But you’re still _Jared_. You used to cheer people up or help people out however you could, right? Well you went and started a business to help people’s dreams come true. You never just ignore a phone call or a request, even if it was from someone you hated. You love Italian food and being surrounded by people. You were always incredibly smart and funny. You haven’t become someone new, Jared. You just grew up.”

“You grew up so perfect, Jared.” Jensen’s voice was so painfully sincere – it made Jared’s heart ache. “We’re nowhere near worthy of you. But just... give us a chance. Just think about it.”

Jared looked down at the tablecloth; mind reeling as he processed everything he was hearing. It was almost too much – and it was only the sliver professionalism still left in the back of his mind kept him from running away in that moment. Just trying to keep his composure was taking so much of his energy that trying to formulate some sort of argument; some sort of response was far too difficult.

“Jay…” Suddenly he felt someone touch the back of his hand gently. He peaked up and saw it was Misha, looking concerned a maybe a bit guilty. “We can compromise. You keep planning the wedding, okay? Just like Jensen and I are regular clients. And we won’t bother you about being with us anymore for the rest of the planning process – _if._ _If_ you promise to think about it. Really think about it.” 

“You won’t ask me about it every time we meet, or call me when we leave these meetings to interrogate me?” Jared said quietly with an accusatory glance toward Jensen.

“None of that. “ Jensen swallowed visibly, looking uncomfortable. “We promise.” 

“Do we have a deal?” Misha looked hopeful, but not nearly as confident as he usually was.

Jared bit his lip and leaned back, finally looking at the two of them. The moment seemed to stretch on without a sound being made or anyone even moving. If he had been asked the day before, he might have screamed and yelled and asked how _dare_ they. But today felt different – today he saw sides of Jensen and MIsha he hadn’t seen in years. Not a confident, established pair of mates trying to add to their wealth by gaining a personal bed-warmer and baby-maker. Put two people who were _desperate_ and maybe even in love. It was the first time Jared felt like he was the one wielding the power between the three of them.

It was so much to bear.

He had gone through so much before, and he was terrified of what the future could hold depending on his answer. He had to make the right choice, and God did it hurt.

 


	4. Who Needs Sleep Anyway? Not Me.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I was going to split this fic into two separate stories, but I think I'll just keep adding on. It will make sense either way. This just seems easier for everyone involved.
> 
> Thanks for your patience guys!

Traditionally, Jared works with his client’s anywhere from a year to two months in advance of their wedding. Some people don’t want a lot of fuss, and just need a little bit of guidance – but others are completely lost and don’t even know where to start once the engagement ring has been on their finger. Shorter projects make him nervous though, and he often loses the most sleep over those sorts of cases. 

So attempting to plan Jensen and Misha’s dream wedding in a week and a half Is just about Jared’s worst nightmare. He pulls out all the stops, determined to see it through and make it the best damn wedding it could possibly be. Along with that, he has serious thinking to do during those few hours he has alone at his apartment. Jared promised he would think about Jensen and Misha’s offer, and he was going to take it seriously. They were providing him the same courtesy, and during their meetings they hadn’t once asked him anything about joining them or going back to Texas with him.

It was professional – but also relaxed. He learned that Jensen was still a diehard Maverick’s fan, and had season tickets to the games. They both loved to golf, and most of their vacations were taken to places renowned for their golfing courses. Jensen volunteered at an animal shelter on weekends, and both he and Misha wanted a pet – but their busy work schedules weren’t ideal to bring an animal into. Misha still loved old, classic books and often stopped by thrift shops and antique stores during his lunch breaks to see what new things he could find and bring home. They had a huge library in their home, with wall-to-wall, floor-to-ceiling bookcases. 

He learns that Misha and Jensen lived in a crappy apartment for years, saving money and working their butts off to buy an amazing house in a good neighborhood. They tell him about their college years, living off ramen and canned beans. And even if they don’t say it out loud, he knows why they were so selective about their house. 

Jared still doesn’t know how to feel, so he works through it – hoping that things will eventually make sense.

The night before Misha and Jensen leave has finally come around. They are heading up to Massachusetts to visit Misha’s Mother and Grandparents. At the same time, Jared has arranged for a small, private ceremony at 11am next Thursday.

Misha and Jensen had invited him out for a drink around the corner from his apartment as a Thank You for what he had done. Usually he would have suspected them of trying to trick him into going out on a date – but over the past two weeks he had seen a different side of them. Or rather re-learned the things he had liked about them when he was younger. Jared could admit that he had forgotten just how close they were as friends, being so tied up in his hurt and insecurity as he was. But now he remembered why they had been so close – and the offer of going out with Mish and Jensen seemed less like a come-on and more like a friendly request.

Jared suddenly found himself wishing it could just be like this always. 

Friendly, comfortable – but no messy heartbreaks or complications. That could easily be his decision – but his heart wouldn’t let him commit to it. Jared was only going to have five days before MIsha and Jensen expected an answer and he was determined to give them one. Not to prove a point, but because it wouldn’t be fair for them to keep holding out on hope if he never felt comfortable enough with them. Both of the older men clearly wanted a family, and even if they never found another Omega they wanted to settle down with – they could still go ahead and adopt kids and raise them together. Jared refused to hold them up on that process; he wasn’t worth them holding their ambitions and dreams back.

He manages to keep these things to himself when he meets them at the little place around the street. It’s an upscale sort of establishment – the kind you go to when you want to have a nice quiet time with friends. Jared likes it because he and Gen are less likely to run into douchebags there than a normal bar.

Jensen and Misha are already waiting for him when he gets inside, and he smiles at one of the smartly dressed servers and heads back to sit with them. The atmosphere is warm and comfortable, and the two older men have chosen to sit at one of the couch areas – with a small coffee table to rest drinks and appetizers on. He sits on a plush armchair next to their couch and immediately reaches out to try one of tiny fried wontons they’ve ordered.

“Knew you only agreed for the free food.” Misha snorted and shook his head. But his smile was bright and obviously delighted that Jared was finally there. He had one arm slung around Jensen’s shoulders, pulling his mate close to his side. They looked comfortable, snuggled up together like that and it sent a pang of warmth through Jared’s body to see it.

“No way, I’d go to my regular Chinese place is I really wanted fried wontons. I get them bigger and cheaper over there.” Jared scoffed before reaching to take another one. Just because he could pass these up, didn’t mean he was going to. “Are you two all packed?”

“Yeah. Ready to head out as soon as possible. We’ve got a 6:45am flight.” Jensen sighs. “How about you?”

“Haven’t booked my flight yet.” Jared grimaced. “Probably should. I want to get there early Wednesday morning. I have a checklist of things I need to personally look over. You’d be surprised what could go wrong.”

“We really appreciated how hard you’ve worked on all of this.” Jensen’s eyes took a soft light. “Make sure you get some rest afterwards. I can tell you’ve just about run yourself ragged.”

Jared shrugged, not ready to comment on it – even though Jensen was right. He hadn’t gotten much sleep lately, for multiple reasons. But he also knew that no matter what decision he made next week – he still wouldn’t be able to rest peacefully for a long time after. That was just the nature of the game they were playing.

He never let the rest of their night get more personal than that and stuck to things like golf, and marathons and things that he had forgotten he wanted to learn about them.

 

* * *

 

 

The day of the wedding was absolutely gorgeous. 

The skies were clear blue, puffy light clouds soared high overhead. If Jared had already canceled the photographer this would make for an excellent backdrop for pictures. He’d seen too many cloudy or rained out wedding days and they always put a somber tint onto what should be a perfect day.

But no, today was absolutely perfect.  Jensen and Misha both looked smart in black suits, Jensen wearing a crisp white shirt and Misha wearing a beautiful black button-down. Jensen looked like he might have gotten a haircut at some point during the week, while Misha had styled his usually unruly hair into some lovely side-sweeping gelled do. They both looked stunning and Jared felt kind of like an asshole.

Oh no, he was dressed the part, black suit, white shirt – he looked good, as he always did when he went to a wedding. No, it was the other thing that had him suddenly feeling an immense wave of guilt.

“I can’t do this.” Jared blurted out suddenly, right before Jensen could reach for the door. In his mind he had made It all up, they would walk down the aisle together in the small church. Both Jensen and Misha would see there were no flowers, no decorations and no priest and at the end of it all they would realize it wasn’t going to happen without Jared having to say a word and make things worse.

But he could never be that cruel, not at this point. He was over the childish nature of his anger – most of what was left was fear, sadness and guilt.

And maybe a little hope.

He hurried down the stairs, turning his back on them and the church. Jared knew that both the Alpha and Beta had to be immensely confused, and he waited until he heard their footsteps following down after him to turn around. He couldn’t bring himself to look either of them in the face and so he settled on staring at a potted plant to the side of the staircase.

“I couldn’t go through with it.” Jared whispered. “I can’t let you go in there thinking…” Jared sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “I’m so sorry. But I can’t – I won’t marry you. Not like this. It would be wrong, and it wouldn’t work out. Theres too much between us to just put all our lots in together like this.”

“Jared –“ Misha began, reaching out for him.

“Wait.” Jensen said suddenly, placing a hand on Misha’s arm. “Just wait.”

Jared finally looked up, and he searched for Jensen calm green eyes. The older male nodded slightly, and he immediately felt a sense of ease come over him. Taking a deep breath, he continued. “I wouldn’t feel right marrying you like this. We both have totally different lives, we haven’t properly dated. I mean last week I learned so many new things about you both – I realized that you are so different from when we were younger. And it’s a good thing. But that means our relationship would be different than what it was.”

“So you are saying no.” Misha said flatly, the disappointed being barely contained. 

“I’m saying…” Jared paused and tried to steady himself. “I’m looking into expanding my business.”

A crease formed between Misha’s eyebrows and Jensen tilted his head, obviously confused. It would be comical if Jared wasn’t practically sweating and barely holding himself together.

“I’m looking for properties Austin. To expand. Its an idea I’ve had for a while.” Suddenly Jared was rushing to get everything out. “See my business in New York has become more of a high-end sort of business. Its become a sort of a beacon for the privileged. I was thinking of opening one that would be somewhere local, for normal people with normal incomes to come to. People like us when we were growing up deserve to have a fairytale wedding to, you know? And God know’s I’ve made more than enough to make this work. Its not about the money so much – its about… its about family. And helping people. Because you were right, Misha. That’s always been what I’m about. I love making people happy, making peoples dreams come true. It makes _me_ happy.” 

“But… I also want to try and make my own family.” He bites his lip. “I think maybe we could start from scratch this time. And see what happens.”

For a moment there is silence and Jared wonders if maybe he went too far this time. Got their hopes of too much, but Jensen and Misha’s faces don’t turn into angry snarls. They just stand there, like they are trying to understand exactly what they just heard. Then Jensen’s green eyes widen almost comically and Misha’s mouth curls into a huge grin, almost feral even 

With a whoop, Misha is grabbing Jared in a huge hug like they haven’t done in years. He is almost blindsided by how hard the Alpha slams him, and almost sends them all tumbling to the ground when Jensen does the same thing a few second later. Its entirely uncomfortable, as Misha seems to be attempting to press the whole length of his body against Jared’s and Jensen has a vice grip on his waist and is nuzzling his cheek against Jared’s neck like hes hoping their flesh might meld together.

He tries to keep himself steady, and more so encourage both of them to get off of him because this is really not the time or the place. Suddenly he hears beeping and a van drives by, a bunch of teenagers are hanging out the windows and cheering and then every car coming after them starts beeping and honking and a rain of screamed “Congratulations!” could be heard coming from different people.

Hi face flushes, and he suddenly feels bad for misleading a bunch of strangers because nothing really happened. He hasn’t even committed himself to exactly what he wants to do. Family can mean anything, it doesn’t have to be dating – it could be friends... He just really needs to get out of this and...

“Stop thinking so loud.” Misha’s voice suddenly seems about three octaves lower as the Alpha growls in his ear.

“You aren’t going to regret this.” Jensen’s voice is firm, but gentle in his other ear, having finally pulled himself away from Jared’s neck.

He certainly hoped that they were right about that, because Jared still feels uneasy.


	5. Tell Me I'm Wrong

They went out to dinner right after that, Jared refusing to go to Misha’s grandparents house on principle. They still had some things to discuss and after his rather emotional pouring out, Jared’s thoughts were back on track. He knew immediately that they would need to establish ground rules, because he could tell that Jensen and Misha were practically salivating at the mouth to get him somewhere alone. It kind of made him uncomfortable, the way they were practically clinging and he found himself considering more than once if he had made the right choice on the arduous four block walk to the nearest Chinese restaurant. 

Even during seating he had to wait to find a way to make sure he could sit on one side while they sat on the other. The minute Misha had moved to crowd into his side, Jared had given him a pointed look before picking up his menu. The waitress brought them hot tea and fried noodles and Jared took the time to hold the menu up, pretending to look for a specific item menu as he attempted to calm his nerves. 

Finally the silence gets to be too much for Misha and he speaks a little too eagerly. “When are you moving? How long do we have to get ready?”

“Oh god, I haven’t even thought about the house.” Jensen says suddenly shaking his head.”You’ll need an office right? For work? We can clear out one of the storage spaces for an office. Theres on right down the hall from our bedroom.”

“You are going to love the house, Jared.” Misha says proudly, even though they’ve already told Jared the origin story of how they came to choose their house. Jared isn’t quite over the fact that they bought it with him and mind, and if anything its more creepy than disturbing. If he wasn’t so sure they were uncompromisingly in love with him, he’d probably get a restraining order.

God, this was so fucked up. 

“Look, I know you’re excited.” Jared lowered the menu and gave them both measured looks. “But this is going to take some time. I haven’t settled on a property yet. And even if I did, I need to make sure everything in the New York office is running smoothly. Transfer bank accounts, let people know about all the changes, update my website, talk to my landlady. Theres just a lot, okay? Lets take this one step at a time.”

Jensen for his part nodded along rather eagerly, while Misha blinked and grinned at him half sheepishly. The waitress brought their drinks and took their orders, giving Jared a brief window of time to compose himself.

Rules, strict rules would have to be put into place before they could go forward with this insanity. He was not going to have this process rushed and he refused to let them have the upper hand. Every step they took needed to be his decision. As much as he wanted this – they still had a long way to go in terms of him completely trusting them. Jared wasn’t quite sure they understood that piece of information yet. 

“I’m thinking I’ll be ready to move in maybe three months at the minimum and six months at the maximum.” Jared figured if he were honestly putting the move off for six months it would probably be a time to call it quits. “I want to make sure the projects I’m working on now are completed before the move, as well as helping Anastasia and Laila get comfortable by themselves… Its all business stuff really. Then theres actually moving…”

“Three months is plenty of time for us to get ready.” Misha snorted a little. “Trust me, there are probably only two rooms that get a lot of use in that house. The bedroom and the bathroom, it’s a shame.” 

Jensen rolled his eyes and kicked Misha under the table before smiling gently at Jared. “In all seriousness – just let us know what you need help with, if you need anything in advance…” 

“Uh, heres the thing…” Jared hesitated. “I’m not moving in with you. I’m going to get my own apartment when I move to Austin.”

Tension peaked in the room as they both stared at him, Misha sitting up a little straighter. It was eerily quiet for a moment before Jensen said quietly. “I thought we were…”

“No, no, we are!” Jared said quickly, trying to calm the situation. “Its just..” He ran a hand through his hair. “We’ve just started dating. Like literally 20 minutes ago. And yeah, maybe you two are together and have been together for ten years. And sure you’ve been fantasizing about dating me for just as long – but that’s just it. It hasn’t happened. And people who are dating don’t just move into people’s houses after 20 minutes. That’s just weird.”

‘Jared, we’re adults.” Misha said, raising an eyebrow. “This has been a long time coming and theres no reason for you to have to waste money and time finding a different apartment. We aren’t asking for intimacy – dating and all that. But that house is big enough for you to have privacy.”

Jared sighed and shook his head. “Its not about that. We need space, we need to get to know each other on friendship level before we start invading each others personal space. We need time for me to go to your house and see how you both function and keep house and you need to come to my apartment and see how I function. We may have been friends but we’ve never _lived_ together. For all you know we could be completely incompatible.”

“Doubtful.” Misha scoffed, still looking rather put-out by the whole thing.

“Either way…” Jared shifted his attention to Jensen who should be the most levelheaded of all three of them. “That’s my plan. And I’m hoping your on board, since I’m kind of, sort of moving for you.”

“Don’t worry about it, Jared.” Jensen seemed a little sad, but clearly understanding. He put a hand on Misha’s shoulder. “We get it. And we’re going to do our best to be as unobtrusive as possible. Trust me, we are 100% on board.”

“Good. That’s good.” Jared breathed a sigh of relief. 

“So, we get to take you on dates, right?” Misha said, suddenly looking thoughtful. His eyes brighten and a slow grin spread across his face. 

“Uh… yeah.” Jared’s eyebrows knitted together. “That would be part of the plan.”

“You know… I actually like your plan better.” Misha finally said, satisfied for his own reasons. Both Jensen and Jared looked at him curiously, but he just shook his head. 

“Well you just keep us updated.” Jensen added. “We’ll come help you move in, show you around town.”

“Alright.” Jared said, somewhat hesitant. But he heard the sincerity in Jensen’s voice and realized it was just a genuine desire to be helpful. “I appreciate it.”

As the meal continued, they continued to talk about Texas, but in a more broad sense. Things Jared had wished he had done back home, and things he couldn’t wait to see and try again. It was surprisingly relaxing, and surprisingly hopeful. It was the kind of confidence boost Jared needed to accept that he was truly doing the right thing.

 

* * *

 

 

Jared Tristan Padalecki was panicking.

He was standing in the middle of his office after just finalizing his up-coming move to a new apartment in Austin and the sheer magnitude of what he was doing finally hit him. And it was only the fact that he was in shock that he didn’t call back immediately to say he had changed his mind about the apartment, canceling fees be damned. No, he just stood there – staring at the Calendar on his wall – no more looking at the gorgeous, rolling hills of Ireland on the Calendar than anywhere else in the office.

He was moving back to Texas.

He was moving back to Texas to be with Misha and Jensen. 

He was going to throw up.

What was he thinking? A month ago this would have never even been an option. Like, he legitimately would have not even thought of the possibility that this could happen to him. Yet somehow, here he was – ready to move down to _Texas_ of all places. Giving up everything he had worked so hard to establish here in New York on some thimble-bit of a chance that he might actually be able to live out his childhood dream of being mated to his best friends. 

Taking a deep breath, he took out his phone and typed.

_‘I’m having second thoughts.’_

If anyone could knock some sense into his head at this point, it would be Gen. Nearly as soon as he had gotten off the plane in New York; he had called the Beta and hurriedly told her the entire story and what he had decided to do. In the corner of his mind, he had been hoping that his friend would tell him it was an awful idea and that he ought to be ashamed for getting caught up in Misha and Jensen’s spell. Unfortunately that wasn’t quite how the conversation went down.

 

_“So you finally got your head out of your ass. That’s awesome!”_

_Jared blanched and held the phone away from his ear, blinking into space for a few moments before bringing the phone back._

_“E-excuse me?”_

_“Jared, I know you have this whole “strong, independent omega” thing down to near perfection. But its just biology, hon. Theres nothing you can do about that.”_

_“So your saying I never had a choice?” Jared snapped a bit irritably as he hailed a Taxi. “Gee, thanks.”_

_“I’m not saying_ that. _I’m saying that its not_ wrong _for you to want to give it a try. If is just biology for you to want to at least try – and you’ve been denying yourself for too long.”_  

_“Then why do I feel like I’m making the worst decision of my life?”_

_“You’re scared. And that’s pretty much normal. You feel like you’ve been burned, and you don’t want to get burned again.”_

_Theres a pause on the phone and Jared thanks the Taxi driver and pays him. He holds the phone to his ear with his shoulder as he gets the bag out of the trunk and walks into his building._

_“I can’t promise you everything is going to work out, Jared. But I don’t think you’ll regret it if you just give it a try.”_  

 

They had gone out for lunch the next day, a good solid three hours in which Jared voiced all his fears and anxieties about his choice. But by the end of the day, he had actually felt pretty good about what he was doing. Gen was right, there was no way he was going know if everything was going to work out the way he wanted. But it was better to try and fail then to not try at all. He refused to let himself potentially miss out on something great just because he was scared.

However, a week later he was having second thoughts and none of the pep talks he’d given himself over and over in his head seemed to work. He paced the room; phone gripped tight in his hand he waited for the familiar buzz that meant Gen had texted him back.

Finally, his phone vibrated and he nearly dropped it in surprise. 

‘ _One of my kid patients just told me hes a Maverick’s fan. Hes due to get his braces off in a month, should I extend it another year?’_

Jared blinked down at his phone. That definitely wasn’t Gen, no – that was Misha. Put that up there with the things he wasn’t expecting, but totally should have expected.

“ _1 – since when do you watch sports? 2 – I think his parents wallets wont be too thrilled with that news.’_

He bit his lip, and quickly his send, trying not to think too much about this whole thing. The reply was pretty quick – and he figured Misha must not be _right_ in the middle of working.

_‘You got me. But according to Jensen we root for the Spurs I think. Its all pointless knothead boasting to me.’_

Jared grinned a little at that and shook his head. Like with many things, Misha never came off extremely Alpha to most people. He was much more relaxed and comfortable in his skin – even at a young age.  Instead of being obsessed with sports and other ‘over-compensating’ activities, as he liked to call them, Misha had gotten himself involved in things like debate club and leadership programs. Misha never tried to use his physical presence to scare someone into submission. It was the way he held himself, his confidence and poise – the steady authority in his voice.

Jared supposes its one of the things that he finds so attractive about Misha. Hes a big guy himself, even if he isn’t some muscled behemoth, and for some reason Alphas seem to think that means he needs to be taken down a notch. Like Jared purposely grew to 6’4 just to personally piss them off and if they fucked him hard enough he would magically shrink down to a more manageable size.

Misha had never looked at him like that – never been intimidated by the fact that both his Beta and Omega were taller than him. If anything he was probably proud and thrilled by the perplexed looks that they used to get when they were teenagers. Both he and Jensen trailing after the smaller Alpha like they already belonged to him.

_‘Well dont do it anyway. You’ll feel guilty about it later.’_

_‘ps. Jensen is a Mavs fan. I’m Spurs.’_  

And suddenly Jared realized he was no longer pacing. In fact, the anxiety that had built up from earlier was more of a dull thrum in the back of his mind than anything. The conversation was reminiscent of something from their early High School time, before everything went to shit – and it filled him with a warm sense of nostalgia. In an instant, Jared realized how much was opened up to him now that he had reconnected with Jensen and Misha. Those memories were still sometimes painful, but now he could think about his past and not only think about what he had lost, but what he had gained back. 

With a small smile, he headed over to the window behind his desk that over looked the city. He loved New York – it had given him back so much when he had felt like everything was lost. This city helped him gain the confidence to be who he wanted to be, taught him that he didn’t need to compromise to anyone else’s standards but his own. He remembered being young and thinking that big cities were the huge, foreboding places that he would never want to end up. His only ambition had been to stay close to his parents and maybe one day have a family of his own, and maybe volunteer and be active in a close community.

Now here he was. He owned his own company, about to start a second branch and making more money than he could ever have dreamed. Now he was going to chase after the dreams of his childhood without sacrificing the progress he had made for himself.

His phone buzzed and he looked down, this time the text was from Gen.

_‘Are you okay?’_

Jared quickly typed back and honest reply.

‘ _Yeah. Just having some moving jitters. I’m actually really good now.’_


	6. The Working Omega Support Group

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can't even begin to explain why it took me so long to update. I am still writing this, I swear - just very, very slowly. Thank you for your kind comments and kudos! 
> 
> Next chapter I'll try and clear up any questions you might have, since the plot will be moving along quite a bit. But enjoy this cute inbetweener right now!
> 
> Un-beta'd. Sorry for mistakes!

Aldis Hodge-Harris was the first person Jared met and talked to when he moved to Austin. He’d stayed up the whole night before his flight, thinking and rethinking what he was about to do. Almost getting himself hyped up to forget the whole plan before mentally slapping himself for being so cowardly. By time he arrived in Austin, he was absolutely exhausted and had about two hours before he was supposed to meet the Real Estate Agent to take one final look at the new ‘For the Heart’ building and then sign the final papers.

Luckily for him there was a coffee shop right down the street a cute little independent place owned by none other than one Aldis Hodge-Harris. An Omega entrepreneur much like Jared himself, Aldis ha immediately engaged him in conversation and the two hit it off almost immediately realizing what they had in common. Aldis hadn’t started the business for himself – no, it had been owned by his Uncle, and Aldis had worked there since he was 14 years old. About five years ago, his Uncle’s health took a sudden downturn and he left the managing of the business to Aldis and then two years ago he gave him the entire business.

And unlike Jared, he wasn’t some weird commitment-phobe. He was happily married to Danneel Harris, Vice-Principle of a local Middle School. They had met, predictably enough, when she moved to Austin and was looking for the best place to get coffee every morning. Aldis was 19 then, working fulltime at the coffee shop and taking night classes, when the beautiful red-headed Alpha had come in and blown him away, making him stutter through his greeting, barely squeaking out a ‘come again’ when she sashayed off. As it turned out, Danneel had been charmed by the blushing, younger man and came back every morning, getting to know him and doing her best to get him all flustered. 

As Aldis told it, he was the one who asked Danneel out to dinner. Jared later found out that Aldis had bumbled through asking her out for coffee of all things, before Danneel had leaned in close and said. “How about I just take you.” To which Aldis nearly fainted and hardly heard the words. “,…to dinner.” Aldis still denied that it to this day, but however it happened, they went out on that dinner date and the rest was history.

Flash forward to five months later, and Jared was sitting with Aldis in the back of the coffee shop during his lunch break, listening to his best friend moan about the same thing he’d been moaning about for the last two months. 

Babies and the desire to have them.

“I mean shit, man. I’ve got a whole business to run! I can’t just put everything on hold – this kind of shit takes time, you know? I mean we aren’t in any hurry? Why do we have to be in a hurry? We’ve got two Yorkshire Terriers, why do we need a baby right now? Not that I don’t want one. But… God, can you imagine me pregnant?” Aldis shook his head rapidly. “Nope. Nope. No can do, not right now, nada.” 

“Have you told her that?” Jared raised an eyebrow and then lifted his sandwich to his mouth to take a bite. “Please don’t tell me you’ve been avoiding it and then coming to me to bitch.”

“Uh…” Aldis’ eyes got real shifty, real quick. “Not in so many words, no. I mean I try! But come on, she deals with bratty kids trying to make excuses all day! She just gives me that look and I just can’t. My mouth gets dry and I start sweating and then eventually, well…” 

“Yes, I understand.” Jared cleared his throat, trying not to choke. By this point he had learned much more about Danneel and Aldis’ sex life than he ever wanted to know. But he was eating and there were just times when he couldn’t. It often reminded him of how utterly void his sex life was. “Look, you’ve got to tell her. Or the next time you go into heat, she’ll…distract you, and well, you’re done for.” 

Okay, he really shouldn’t be making the whole thing sound so sinister, but it was totally a sneaky Alpha thing to do. The ethics involved were questionable, but there wasn’t much to do once the deed was done. Not that Jared particularly thought that Aldis would have an actual problem with becoming pregnant. If anything, Jared was convinced it was just nerves – despite his laid back demeanor, he was a perfectionist – the thought of something going wrong in his coffee shop gave him anxiety nearly every day, the thought of having the child probably almost drove him to panic attacks. 

“Would you _hate_ it if you were to get pregnant now?” Jared asked, tilting his head. “It would be complicated, maybe. But you and Danneel are smart. You could work together to figure it out.”

“Of course we could, we’re fucking awesome.” Aldis said cockily, before propping his chin on his hand, brown eyes looking a little wistful. “Its not that I don’t want kids. I just worry.” 

“I know.” Jared said gently with a nod. “But you can’t let that kind of stuff stop you. You’re gonna run out of time eventually and you don’t want to have regrets.”

Jared was speaking from experience now. Not that he was ‘out of time’ to have kids, but his biological clock was ticking along with every passing day. His… situation with Jensen and Misha had no clear indicator of how it was going to turn out, and most of that was his fault.

Aldis seemed to sense something was off and his eyes softened a bit. “Alright, I’ll save the rest of it for tomorrow. What about you?”

Jared shrugged in response and sipped his coffee.

“You gotta have something, Jay. Heres you trying to lecture me about my Alpha, when you can’t even make heads or tails of your Alpha _and_ Beta.” Aldis smirked a little at that. “Give me an update so I can help out.”

 _His_ Alpha and Beta.

It was a weird concept and he still wasn’t used to the idea that he ‘owned’ them as much as they owned him. Would own him if he ever let them. The idea sent a spike of fear and excitement through him, which made him incredibly uncomfortable. His attraction to them was growing ever steadily, and it was less personality and more about his body going ‘ _’those are some hot pieces of Alpha and Beta man meat over there.’_

“We watched the game on Saturday, ordered out wings and everything.” Jared shrugged. “Some of Jensen’s friends are in a band and playing a gig on Friday. Might go hang out if I’m not busy.”

“’If you aren’t busy’, my ass You are gong out with them on Friday. Its time to stop playing games and get with the program.” Aldis said firmly. “You’re lucky to have those two still putting up with your bullshit.”

Jared frowned and narrowed his eyes. Aldis knew about his history with Misha and Jensen, and he reacted much like Genevieve had. Sympathetic, but a bit confused at the reason why he continued to let it haunt him. Aldis however lacked a Beta’s need to soothe and be continually understanding. He called Jared out whenever he thought he was being ridiculous. 

“Look, you moved down here. You are dating them, no if and ors buts about it.” Aldis continued. “You are nearly thirty years old. Time to get this show on the road.”

“What show? I mean what do you want me to do, pledge my soul to them? We spend time together, we’re fine.” Jared snapped a little, feeling uncomfortable with being lectured by someone younger than him. It was Aldis’ one flaw, he pushed and pushed until the other person either snapped on him or gave in.

“Awww come on.” Aldis slid down a little in his seat, looking a bit sheepish. Trying to lighten the mood, he added. “If you hurry, we could be pregnancy buddies.”

Jared rolled his eyes, taking another sip of his coffee. He could see it now in his mind – the local newspaper with the two of them sitting in the coffee shop, big bellies snug up against the table. The title “Business Owner Omegas Refusing to Give Up Work in the Wake of Their Pregnancies; Should They Be Stopped?” What followed next in his mind’s eye was a scene of Aldis and himself barricaded in the back room of the coffee shop with their laptops and phones, desperately trying to do paperwork while police surrounded the building and threatened to storm the place. A pretty beta reporter would be interviewing their respective Alphas and… 

“Yoo-hoo…” Aldis waved a hand in front of his face. “You spaced out on me there. I was only half kidding about the pregnancy buddies thing. Lord knows I’m going to need the support.” 

“You’re going to do it?” Jared said, shaking his head to clear his mind of that whacked out daydream. 

“Who knows, maybe I’ll make the papers.” A bright grin split across Aldis’ face. “Business Owner Omega Refuses to Give Up Work in Wake of His Pregnancy; Should He Be Stopped?” 

Jared blinked rapidly, stunned before laughing gently. “I couldn’t even imagine.”

 

* * *

 

“Wait, what are there names, Gen?” Jared asked for confirmation as he bent over and picked up a box of travel books, wincing as he realized the thing was much heavier than it looked. Setting it on the table, he paused to listen. “Christian and Chad?  Huh.”

He looked searched for his latest Alaska book as he listened to Genevieve continue to talk about the couple she had met a few days ago. Jared kept in regular contact with Gen, at first mostly by her insistence. She had been worried when he said he was moving back to Texas, but after explaining that he wanted to try and make things right with Jensen and Misha she supported him and helped boost his confidence throughout the whole moving process. Leaving her had probably need the hardest part of getting out New York, besides his own issues, since she had been his rock ever since he’d moved up there. She had never talked down to him or made him feel silly about the things he wanted from life. She took the time to understand him as more than just some weird commitment-phone Omega, she wanted to know him for him and she made it possible for him to become himself outside of his gender-stereotype. 

So yeah, he kept up with her as much as possible, and as soon as he got his life straightened out down here, he was going to beg her to come visit. Perhaps with someone new friends from the way it was sounding over the phone. Gen was trying to sound really casual about the whole thing, but Jared could tell how excited she was. 

“Well have you called them?” He asked as he took the Travel Alaska book over to his desk and sat down. “How many days ago was it?” 

Her answer had him raising his eyebrows and chuckling. “Seriously? He sounds like a handful. I think you’re just attracted to troublemakers.” A pause before he replied. “Oh no, not me. I’m an angel.” 

His phone vibrated suddenly, and he looked down to see a text from Jensen. Half-listening to Gen continue to talk about her new crushes, he opened the text and read.

_‘Too tired to cook. Dinner at Luchetti’s @ 7?’_

Still trying to give Gen most of his attention, he quickly texted back _‘Yes. BYOB?’_ without a second thought.

“If it’s a club, wear that navy blue dress you always wore to parties.” He answered, thinking of whenever they went out. “It says sophisticated and smart, but won’t look out of place. And if this Alpha is anything like you are describing he isn’t going to appreciate you showing up in that slinking red dress you adore so much.”

Back in their early days, Jared and Genevieve had done their fair share of clubbing. It was more of misguided attempt on both their parts to try and find something they thought they were lacking. It turned out that they were definitely attractive to the other sexes, but they weren’t looking for what they were offering. Apparently he and Gen were just too much of romantics to do the whole one nightstand thing and so clubbing became and irregular, almost non-existent thing. 

_“Ill have Misha get it. Good idea.’_

_‘That’s what you keep me around for.’_

Jared smiled a little and shook his head as he finished sending the text. “No, I’m not ignoring you. I’m texting Jensen.” He blushed at the knowing tone of Genevieve’s voice as she asked what it was about. “Dinner plans.” 

_‘Got that right. See u soon.’_

He smiled, even as Gen talked a mile a minute to his ear asking him about Misha and Jensen and how everything was going. He explained it as vaguely as he could, never using the world ‘dating’ and keeping the phrasing strictly to ‘hanging out’. He was sure Gen picked up on it, but she didn’t comment – just seemed genuinely pleased that Jared was spending time with them.

He continued to talk to her even as he started going through his emails and getting back to work. Feeling a strange sense of peace that he hadn’t felt in a long time. His life seemed to be a series of highs and lows that he could never quite trust – but for now he felt content, more than that even – and it was a beautiful feeling.


End file.
